Gaming pc what should i get

They also tend to carry some of the highest price tags in the PC market. It's a big investment, we know, but trust us: it's an investment that pays off in more ways than one. Sure, blasting through hordes of foes at blazing-fast frame rates and high resolutions is fun, but you can just as easily use your gaming rig for graphic design, animation or simply streaming movies and TV in beautiful 4K.

Now that new consoles have hit the market we should point out that while the PS5 and Xbox Series X deliver plenty of power, they're still no match for one of the best gaming desktops. Plus, unlike a console, you can upgrade PCs as better components becomes available. Don't be put off by the prospect of getting your hands dirty; modern PCs are easier to upgrade than ever, and the time you invest will pay off with amazing performance when you're playing the best PC games on the market.

We test new gaming PCs regularly to see if they pass muster for this list, and update the page as systems become available. Read on, and we'll help you find your next great gaming machine. We're in prime Black Friday deals season, and that means this is one of the best times of the year to find great sales on gaming PCs, gaming laptops, gaming monitors and more.

PC gaming is a hobby that can require a lot of equipment, so finding great deals on the gear you need can make a huge difference. The best deals go in and out of stock, and won't always last long, so keep an eye on our Black Friday PC gaming deals page for the most up-to-date discounts.

Until recently, the discontinued Alienware Aurora R11 was one of our best gaming desktops to buy. It's now been replaced by Aurora R12 and soon the Alienware Aurora , which appears to be the same core system with a bigger, cooler redesigned case and some under-the-hood upgrades.

It looks like a worthy follow-up to the R11 and a great buy if you're in the market for a gaming PC, but it won't release until the end of or the beginning of , so we're holding off on formally recommending it until we get one in to review.

During the ongoing chip shortage gaming PCs are scarce and back-ordered enough that to some extent, whatever you can find for a reasonable price is the best gaming PC you can buy right now. If it's available, the Corsair Vengeance i is one of the best gaming PCs you can buy right now, with powerful components and highly customizable options. The RGB lighting is a nice touch, while the price is reasonable, considering the level of performance you can get. On the other hand, the Corsair One Pro i is a good choice for folks seeking a hybrid gaming machine for both graphic design work and play.

If you want something pre-built that looks like it belongs in an office i. The Corsair Vengeance i doesn't cost nearly as much as some of its competitors, but it still gives you access to some of the most powerful hardware on the market. That's because the Vengeance i comes in a plain-looking case, and doesn't include any peripherals. But if you prefer substance to style, this is probably the right gaming PC for you. Apart from that, the Vengeance i features beautiful RGB lighting, a tasteful glass side panel and extremely quiet fans.

That makes it a good productivity tool in addition to a gaming powerhouse. Whether you game in QHD or 4K, there's almost certainly a Vengeance i build that will work with your setup.

Read our full Corsair Vengeance i review. It's a powerful tool for full HD, QHD or even 4K gaming, and yet it's not as obscenely expensive as these systems come.

Granted, Alienware machines tend to sound like jet engines, and the Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 is no exception. Furthermore, the R10's built-in software tends to confuse rather than enhance the experience. But when it comes to high-fidelity gaming with AMD components, the Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 is one of the most comprehensive systems currently available. This small, angular machine fits easily into just about any gaming nook, and is ideal for either desktop or living room setups.

With a variety of processor, GPU and RAM options from which to choose, you'll be able to customize a machine that works for your games, and for your monitor.

Still, in terms of both physical design and raw performance, the MEG Trident X is one of the most gorgeous and functional gaming PCs on the market today. The Corsair One Pro i is arguably one of the best gaming desktops if you need a device for both work and play.

That's admittedly not the newest gear, but it's still more than capable of running the latest games at high settings, or churning through massive amounts of graphic design or video projects. The real selling point of the Corsair One Pro i, though, might just be its chassis. This PC is about as small and light as pre-built gaming desktops come, at only 15 x 8 x 7 inches and 23 pounds. That helps to narrow down the required hardware quite a bit, and that can make your decision much easier.

For something like Fortnite , the bare-minimum hardware requirements could be even lower — but you might not have as much future-proofing built in to your system.

Storage is a concern, too. The benefits of using an SSD are obvious and endless. They fail far less often, they read and write data much faster, you can shrink your startup time down to a few mere seconds, games will load much faster, and the list goes on.

You can just get that smaller SSD for Windows and your favorite game. Are you on the go? Do you travel a lot? Or do you want something that can maintain semi-permanence in your home or office? As far as I know hey, I could be surprised , there are only two ways to go here. You can either get a gaming laptop , or you get a gaming desktop.

Before we dive into specific models of pre-built gaming desktops and laptops to choose from, we should briefly look at PC brands. There is a handful of brands out there that have become known as reliable and trusted PC gaming manufacturers. Using the explainers I include with each gaming PC below, you can take your own notes and go out into the wild blue yonder to find your own options that I may have missed.

Either way, the goal is to help. With the exception of the Alienware Area 51M, gaming laptops often require the use of some extra peripherals to really make the most of them. This card processes all visual elements in your favorite games. The faster the video card, the better and more fluent your games will look.

To play a game, you need at least 30, but preferably 60 frames per second fps. Not everyone has the same wishes though, so we've highlighted the most popular video cards and divided them into 3 groups. Basic dedicated video cards are usually dedicated video cards, but they're not powerful enough for gaming. If you need more and want to at least play games in Full HD image quality at 60 fps, you should get a GTX or better.

This series includes video cards for novice gamers, but also video cards that can effortlessly run the latest games at ultra settings. No matter which game you play, a GTX video card will always have you covered. These cards are very suitable for current demanding games.

RTX cards have a faster video memory and are mainly focused on ray tracing. This is a technology that displays light and reflections better and more realistically, making it seem like you're watching a movie. The RTX series video cards are the most powerful.

With the implementation of Ampere, which the second generation of RTX architecture, more ray tracing cores, and Tensor cores, you have realistic graphics. For hardcore gamers, there's the RTX , which is the most powerful video card at the moment.

With the 24GB of video memory of that video card, you can play the newest games at the highest settings in 4K without problems. As the video card takes on all graphic tasks, the processor CPU controls the game world. Think of your computer-controlled opponents and where bullets go. The CPU calculates that you're shooting where the video card shows an explosion.

Although the processor is important, the graphics card remains the part that most influences your favorite games.